I have to admit the NCAA Regional coming to Detroit's Ford Field seemed like it could be a disaster.
It turned out that Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats not only kept it from being a disaster, but they turned it into an event the city will be talking about for years to come.
Detroit is not a college sports city. It definitely is not a college basketball city.
In fact, most people in Detroit have pretty much ignored college basketball since back-to-back runs in the tournament by a team nicknamed "The Fab Five" that officially never existed.
But, this weekend, this tiny school from North Carolina captured the hearts and imaginations of an entire sporting community.
An NCAA record crowd packed into Ford Field, which, for the record, may be the worst venue for college basketball ever, and saw the greatest show on turf. (Well, at least in Detroit.)
Curry lit up the scoreboard in ways that we haven't seen in the collegiate ranks since Glen Rice.
The beauty of the whole weekend, though, was that Davidson wasn't just a one-man show.
It all started for them Thursday. Each team had its mandated 50-minute practice on the floor.
Davidson was the one team that didn't waste an hour. They practiced; they worked hard, and they never forgot what got them in that position.
Bo Ryan's Badgers spent 46 of their 50 minutes shooting. I think maybe they should have spent some of that time trying to contain Jason Richards’ penetration and Curry's curls. Kansas left the gym with 14 minutes still left on their time clock.
Friday night, Curry scored bucket after bucket, other teammates hit clutch shots, and Richards penetrated to find layups and open teammates. Davidson, who was deemed Cinderella, showed they really could play the game.
After Sunday's game, Kansas knew they had earned a regional championship. They had been in a dog fight.
The Wildcats were wonderful defensively. They rotated well; they trapped hard in the post, and they rebounded with a ferocity that would have embarrassed a team up the road 90 miles.
In the end, their size caught up with them. Kansas' big men were able to grab a couple offensive boards and finished over the undersized bigs of Davidson.
But Davidson didn't walk away empty-handed; they won about 50,000 fans in Detroit, and they won for college basketball, which now seems to have a bigger piece of the consciousness of the people of Motown.
6 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Matt Arbuckle about 1 year ago
Thank You Detroit- we will always remember the hospitality that was shown to us. We had a wonderful time.
Go Cats!
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Kelly Franklin about 1 year ago
Davidson--what an absolutely GREAT team!! They were a complete joy to watch this year at the tournament!! I wish them ALL well and thank them for their GREAT effort!!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Another sappy Cinderella story coming to an end and each time the fans try to make it more than what it was..except in this case, all was not what it appeared. Davidson never was a Cinderella. How do you get a 10 seed with their consecutive wins pre-season, other pre-season accomplishments and having the best player in the tournament. Doesn't fly, but doesn't matter....clock struck 12...go home Davidson
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Hey Anonymous,
In case you missed it, Davidson denied the Cinderella nickname all tournament. They didn't want it and even you keep throwing it at them after claiming it ain't right. They knew they deserved to be there. They proved that with their comeback and decisive wins and the tough fight against Kansas. The Kansas game is testament that is was a team effort, not just the Curry show. If your team overlooked and underprepared for Davidson because they were 10 seed, I bet they won't make that mistake again. Davidson is the real deal and if you can't see that, don't quit your day job. Meanwhile, the Davidson team is back home, in the welcoming arms of the college and town they inspired this past week. Go Davidson!
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
To "Anonymous #1" - I think a lot of people would agree that Davidson was poorly ranked as a #10 seed (after losing to UNC, Duke and UCLA by not a large margin) , and to you it may be "sappy" but to other people, this team and the college (liberal arts college, NOT a "national" university) played with guts and joy. It was heartbreaking to see them lose, but they fought Kansas, which certainly is a better team in terms of height and depth and experience, and they were the only team that gave a #1 seed a fight during the "elite eight". It's your pathetic cynicism that take all the pleasure out of college sports.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
To "Anonymous #1" - I think a lot of people would agree that Davidson was poorly ranked as a #10 seed (after losing to UNC, Duke and UCLA by not a large margin) , and to you it may be "sappy" but to other people, this team and the college (liberal arts college, NOT a "national" university) played with guts and joy. It was heartbreaking to see them lose, but they fought Kansas, which certainly is a better team in terms of height and depth and experience, and they were the only team that gave a #1 seed a fight during the "elite eight". It's your pathetic cynicism that takes all the pleasure out of college sports.
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